Five (Easy!) Thrift Store Gift Ideas

Who says you can’t shop secondhand for the holidays? We’ve got five thoughtful, personal gift ideas that just about anyone can make. Shopping for supplies at thrift stores will help make them frugal.

Thrift Store Gift Idea #1: DIY Story Time Video

If you’ve got little cousins that live far away like we do, this is a great way for them to see your faces and voices as often as they’d like. A story time video is a personal gift that costs next to nothing to make.

Just shop your local thrift store for books you think they’d enjoy. Four or five books are sufficient and will cost less than $5. Next, use your digital camera or smartphone to shoot a video you or your older children reading the stories aloud. Transfer your video onto the computer, then burn it onto a DVD. Wrap the books and DVD up together as a thoughtful story time video gift set.

Thrift Store Gift Idea #2: Photo Candle Holders

Look for unique jars or candle holders at the thrift store. Next, I ordered transparency adhesive paper from Amazon (I couldn’t find it anywhere in town). I sized my images in Photoshop Elements and printed them out. I removed the adhesive backing and put them on the jar along with a votive candle. It was so easy, and a unique spin on a photo gift I’d normally give my mom or mother-in-law.

Thrift Store Gift Idea #3: DIY Personalized Cookbook

One of my favorite homemade gift ideas is the DIY personalized cookbook. I’ve given several of these books to family members over the years. It’s inexpensive and easy to make, yet very personal at the same time. All you need is a three-ring binder and a stack of family recipes. Copy the recipes, and add some fun new ones from magazine clippings and books. Peruse the frugal cookbooks at Goodwill and remove pages of the most appealing recipes. I recently found some great books for just $.99 there.

To create mine, I took the contents of my recipe file and photocopied it. A lot of the recipes were handwritten by my grandmother and mother, so by photocopying them instead of typing out the actual recipes I felt I was capturing part of their personalities. Some were magazine clippings, others were from friends, some were printed off the internet. On some of the pages, I wrote memories about the recipes relating back to when they were served, things I remembered about people they came from, or any tweaking I’ve done to them.

Thrift Store Gift Idea #4: Matching Hostess Set

A little paint is a fun way to update trays, serving platters, and holiday tins you find at Goodwill. Plus, the upgrade turns them into matching sets! You can purchase chalkboard spray paint at just about any craft or home improvement store for less than $4. A little goes a long way! One can will cover several items. Our Goodwill store was stocked with holiday tins as well, most of which were just $.49.

Thrift Store Gift Idea #5: Candy Bouquet

One thing I always see at Goodwill is an ample supply of vases. Many of them are $1.99 or less. Use them (or one you already have) to create a candy bouquet for someone that’s hard-to-buy for. Simply use floral stems and floral ribbon to create a beautiful bouquet. Use more candy in the bottom as a vase filler. These make great gifts for neighbors, babysitters, teachers, and coaches.